Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog’s decision to exclude Golaghat district from the Gaja Mitra programme has drawn flak from environmental activists and student organizations. The scheme, announced in the 2025-26 state budget, aims to mitigate human-elephant conflict in the five most affected districts in Assam, leaving out Golaghat despite being one of the worst-hit districts.
The Gaja Mitra programme involves deploying AI-based camera traps to send real-time alerts on elephant movement and advance paddy procurement in areas where elephants frequently forage, as well as forming Gaja Mitra teams to support the effort. The scheme also focuses on promoting the commercial production of Napier grass, a fast-growing fodder grown experimentally in Assam as a natural barrier against elephant crop raids. The grass also has the potential to generate income through the production of compressed biogas, according to Neog.
However, activists question the exclusion of Golaghat district, which has seen 45 human deaths and 25 elephant deaths due to electrocution between 2009 and 2020. Environmental activist Dilip Nath claims that Neog failed to verify ground realities before preparing the budget, relying instead on official records. He believes that cultivating Napier grass alone will not solve the problem unless illegal encroachments in reserve forests are addressed.
The Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS) has also joined the chorus of criticism, demanding an explanation from Neog, local MLAs Mrinal Saikia, and Biswajit Phukan for not raising the issue in the Assembly. The SMSS has called for Neog to apologize to the people of Morongi, Tengani, and Khumtai for Golaghat’s exclusion from the scheme. Activists argue that the programme’s success depends on forest restoration, pointing out that the elephants embody a sense of danger for the people and their life, talking about the chaos in public places.
The Gaja Mitra scheme was initially announced for the districts of Goalpara, Baksa, Udalguri, Sonitpur, and Nagaon, but environmental activists believe that Golaghat deserves priority due to its high rate of human-elephant conflict.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/activists-slam-assam-finance-minister-for-excluding-golaghat-from-gaja-mitra-programme.html
Category : Assam,Environment,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2025-03-11 23:11:00
